This Year's Girl
Miami, Florida | Film Short
Drama
THIS YEAR'S GIRL tells the story of a young ballerina while she prepares for one of the biggest performances of her life as her domineering, narcissist mother pushes her to the edge.
This Year's Girl
Miami, Florida | Film Short
Drama
1 Campaigns | Florida, United States
Green Light
This campaign raised $3,150 for production. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.
21 supporters | followers
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THIS YEAR'S GIRL tells the story of a young ballerina while she prepares for one of the biggest performances of her life as her domineering, narcissist mother pushes her to the edge.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Polina is a 17 year old ballerina who has never known anything other than dance. She is given the lead role for her academy’s small production of Perrot’s “Pas de Quatre” that will be attended by a recruiter from Bolshoi Ballet, the internationally famous Russian company that her mother, Vera, attended in her youth before retiring due to an injury. As the big night approaches, Polina slowly crumbles under the pressure of escaping from her mother’s shadow, expectations, and the performance itself.
This story is based on my own personal experiences and what continues to be center themes of my life. With the increasing interest in ballet with trends like "balletcore" as seen across the internet, I believe this is the perfect time to show what the reality of being a ballet dancer is like – the good and bad – which has never been truly explored with the upmost nuance and sincerity due to the general lack of films about the topic itself. Our film will introduce, enlighten, and resonate with a large audience about an artform that has existed for centuries, as well as a relationship as complex as one between a mother and daughter.
Our team has worked with the tiniest of budgets to create high-quality work and knows what it takes to be successful. We are passionate about seeing the project through to completion despite any challenges that we might face. Casting sessions have begun as of February 2023 and our lead character has already been selected.
Covid-19 is an added challenge to making a film, however we will prepare for this by following the official protocol and guidelines as established by the industry studios and unions. We will make sure to plan for a Covid safe set and use any methods available to us to ensure a safe filming environment that is in accordance with safety requirements, such as rapid testing, PPE, masks, sanitization, etc.
Our plan is to reach our minimum target of $3,150 USD in order to raise the funds we need for production and beyond. The money will go towards set operations, facilities, catering, sound department, marketing, and film festival submissions. You can see the full breakdown of where the money will be spent under ‘Wishlist’.
We are a passionate team and want to make it the best film that it can be. Your donations will go directly towards production and any help will make a huge difference in the overall value of the film.
Production will take place on April 18, 19, 20, 21 and 23 with an average of 10 hours each and post-production will begin directly after. Once we have a completed the film, we’d love the opportunity to bring it to the film festival circuit of 2023-24. Here's how you can help:
CONTRIBUTE: First, we’d love for you to pledge as every dollar truly counts in allowing us to make any of this possible. All financial contributions will go towards production costs, plus you will get some fun rewards out of it!
FOLLOW: Make sure to follow us on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and TikTok and be sure to follow us on Seed&Spark to keep up with any updates. The more followers we get on here, the more rewards and discounts we will receive!
SHARE: Please consider sharing our Seed&Spark page and all our social media accounts to help us build an audience and community!
Thank you so much for all your support and for taking the time to learn more about our film!
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Set Operations
Costs $500
Everything needed for production to run smoothly, from walkie talkies to insurance.
Facilities
Costs $200
Spaces for all our crew to set up their equipment and hang out in during breaks or off-set times.
Sound Department
Costs $500
Paying all involved in recording location sound from dialogue to ambience.
Catering
Costs $1,250
For a well-fed, healthy, and happy cast and crew.
Marketing
Costs $200
Help with spreading the word about our film out into the big world.
Film Festivals
Costs $500
Show the world our film that was made possible with your help.
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
As part of our BFA thesis project, most to all of us on the team have already begun working in the film industry at the professional level. Those involved have dedicated years to specializing in the area that they love most and are capable of incredible things. We also have more people joining and those involved on the post-production and marketing side of the film.
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Polina is a 17 year old ballerina who has never known anything other than dance. She is given the lead role for her academy’s small production of Perrot’s “Pas de Quatre” that will be attended by a recruiter from Bolshoi Ballet, the internationally famous Russian company that her mother, Vera, attended in her youth before retiring due to an injury. As the big night approaches, Polina slowly crumbles under the pressure of escaping from her mother’s shadow, expectations, and the performance itself.
This story is based on my own personal experiences and what continues to be center themes of my life. With the increasing interest in ballet with trends like "balletcore" as seen across the internet, I believe this is the perfect time to show what the reality of being a ballet dancer is like – the good and bad – which has never been truly explored with the upmost nuance and sincerity due to the general lack of films about the topic itself. Our film will introduce, enlighten, and resonate with a large audience about an artform that has existed for centuries, as well as a relationship as complex as one between a mother and daughter.
Our team has worked with the tiniest of budgets to create high-quality work and knows what it takes to be successful. We are passionate about seeing the project through to completion despite any challenges that we might face. Casting sessions have begun as of February 2023 and our lead character has already been selected.
Covid-19 is an added challenge to making a film, however we will prepare for this by following the official protocol and guidelines as established by the industry studios and unions. We will make sure to plan for a Covid safe set and use any methods available to us to ensure a safe filming environment that is in accordance with safety requirements, such as rapid testing, PPE, masks, sanitization, etc.
Our plan is to reach our minimum target of $3,150 USD in order to raise the funds we need for production and beyond. The money will go towards set operations, facilities, catering, sound department, marketing, and film festival submissions. You can see the full breakdown of where the money will be spent under ‘Wishlist’.
We are a passionate team and want to make it the best film that it can be. Your donations will go directly towards production and any help will make a huge difference in the overall value of the film.
Production will take place on April 18, 19, 20, 21 and 23 with an average of 10 hours each and post-production will begin directly after. Once we have a completed the film, we’d love the opportunity to bring it to the film festival circuit of 2023-24. Here's how you can help:
CONTRIBUTE: First, we’d love for you to pledge as every dollar truly counts in allowing us to make any of this possible. All financial contributions will go towards production costs, plus you will get some fun rewards out of it!
FOLLOW: Make sure to follow us on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and TikTok and be sure to follow us on Seed&Spark to keep up with any updates. The more followers we get on here, the more rewards and discounts we will receive!
SHARE: Please consider sharing our Seed&Spark page and all our social media accounts to help us build an audience and community!
Thank you so much for all your support and for taking the time to learn more about our film!
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Set Operations
Costs $500
Everything needed for production to run smoothly, from walkie talkies to insurance.
Facilities
Costs $200
Spaces for all our crew to set up their equipment and hang out in during breaks or off-set times.
Sound Department
Costs $500
Paying all involved in recording location sound from dialogue to ambience.
Catering
Costs $1,250
For a well-fed, healthy, and happy cast and crew.
Marketing
Costs $200
Help with spreading the word about our film out into the big world.
Film Festivals
Costs $500
Show the world our film that was made possible with your help.
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
As part of our BFA thesis project, most to all of us on the team have already begun working in the film industry at the professional level. Those involved have dedicated years to specializing in the area that they love most and are capable of incredible things. We also have more people joining and those involved on the post-production and marketing side of the film.